Senate confirms Service Chiefs’ Appointment, as Buhari hosts security council meeting
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of the new Service Chiefs by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Those confirmed were- Maj.-Gen. Lucky Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff, Maj-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, Chief of Army Staff, Rear Admiral Awwal Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff and AVM Isiaka Amao, Chief of Air Staff.
Their confirmation followed the adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on Defence at plenary. Presenting the report, Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Wamakko Aliyu(APC-Sokoto) said the nominees responded satisfactorily to questions during their screening. He said also that there were no petitions written against them, saying that the nominees were also cleared by the Department of State Service (DSS). Wamakko said their service experience in the military made them eminently qualified for appointment as service chiefs.
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan in his remarks, said Nigerians expected much from the new service chiefs. He said the National Assembly would continue to support them in the fight against security challenges in the country. He said that the new service chiefs should take the fight against bandits to their hideouts.
” Situations, where bandits abduct students in secondary school at will, are not acceptable,” Lawan said. He stressed the need for inter-agency cooperation among security agencies in the fight against banditry and other forms of criminality in the country.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari is presiding over the National Security Council meeting in the Executive Council Chambers of Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja. The meeting is the first National Security Council meeting the President would be holding with the new service chiefs after their appointment late January and screening/confirmation by the National Assembly in February.
Among those attending the meeting are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha; the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (Rtd).
Others are the Ministers of Defense, Interior, Police Affairs, and Foreign Affairs; Major General Bashir Salihi Magashi (Rtd), Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Muhammad Dingyadi and Mr Geoffrey Onyema, respectively.
Security chiefs in attendance include Chief of General Staff, Major General Lucky Irabor; Chief of Army Staff, Major General Ibrahim Attahiru; Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amoo; and the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo. Also in the meeting are the Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu; Director-General of the Department of State Service (DSS), Yusuf Magaji Bichi; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.
Also in the meeting is the Chief of Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Major General Samuel Adebayo. The National Security Council meeting is a quarterly security council meeting with the President as its chairman.
